Colours and textures.

Marilyn had been trying out some patterns of weaves in the same colour way.Don't they look different ?

She used mercerized perle cotton which she dyed with procion dyes,the colours just sing out and look different when viewed from other viewpoints.this colour scheme certainly lightened the spirits.

Sue brought some of her inspirations and experiments for us .From atmospheric prints to 

textured paper surfaces.

And ......of course her trademark embellished fabrics.

Another real shot of colour in this grey February!

Pattern.

Liz showed us this lovely quilt made from African fabrics sourced through Maggie Relph's sitewww.africanfabrics.co.uk.It is to be auctioned to raise funds for the disadvantaged.Liz is busy quilting it to send off in the next week.If you are interested in ethnic textiles look out for the World Textile day advertised.

She also brought her "leaf" piece,which includes Eco dyeing,printing and some of Deryll's naturally dyed fabrics.The black marks are little plastic "tacks" a bit like those used to tag goods in shops,but to help quilters keep pieces together before sewing.

She also had some screen-printed fabrics with her ,but was a little perplexed as the procion based dye had taken on some but washed out on others despite being treated the same!

Patricia brought some of her  brooches,made from odd leftovers.......there are leftovers and leftovers.These are just so delicious with their mixture of colours,textures and clever choice of beads.

She also brought along some dyed cloth.

Delights from Debby.

Debby has a very busy life,it has been even more so since she has been covering for Janet at Heartspace as she has a broken wrist.She brought along her lovely brooches,see above.

This memory quilt which uses transfer printed images.

And these..........lots of lovely ideas for printing on fabrics.She showed us a great variety of ways to make print blocks,from a domino piece wrapped with thread to funky foams and more.

Debby runs an after school stitch group and was using them to inspire her pupils.She intended them to print ,then embellish with stitch to make lavender bags.

Carol had decided upon the fabric she wished to use for her panels but was dismayed to discover "Calico "no longer had it.This meant she would not have enough to create all the panels she had originally intended.This called for a rethink,and to her relief she could make fewer panels ,less work,but still include the different groups she intended.So what might have been a disaster has been turned to advantage.

Foreign parts

Sally and Viv had visited foreign parts for Christmas so not much textile work had taken place.Sally had purchased a tablet to be able to record what she saw on her travels .It needed a protective cover so she  fashioned one from an old embroidery piece of hers.It has a lovely faded feel as if it has some age.

She also showed these pieces which are,I think ,paper and card transformed with Sally's own brand of alchemy.They may become covers for a handmade book.

Sue has been adding further stitch and embellishments to this piece.

Some rather blurry close-ups showing the incredible amount of stitching present.

Viv brought along this rather special woven piece.It was made by the grandmother of her daughter-in -law and given as a gift at Christmas.

She also showed some inspirational photos taken while away.The carvings on these doorways may well prove to morph into embroidery!

Potential new members.

With Bobby and Heather deciding to step away from the group we are two people short.We invited Marilyn and Patricia to come along for a trial period to see if we would suit each other.

Marilyn is a weaver and she brought along a variety of her work,including this table runner above.

This selection was some samples inspired by beach huts,all threads hand dyed by Marilyn.Alongside in the box is a jewellery set.It was interesting to see how versatile the medium is.

We were also joined by Patricia ,who designs and makes her own fabrics and beads.

Viv is modeling first a necklace,then a new venture ,a fabric neck piece,a mix of jewellery and scarf.

Below is a close-up of one of Patricia's fabrics.She uses a wide variety of media and technique to achieve her one offs.

Finally,Sally and Kirsten examining the scarf worn by Marilyn,one of her own design.

More new work.

Kirsten brought some pieces that she had been working on ,detail above.The colours positively sang out against the blue of the ground fabric.this was taken from looking at some sketchbook work done many moons ago.It really is good to revisit sketchbooks ,their usefulness does not diminish.

She also showed us some work she has had returned from traveling exhibitions,sorry forgot the pics.Kirsten said she hasn't seen them for some time so they were new to her eyes!

A trawler of charity shops she picks up some bargains,such as silk and tweed ,which are up cycled into work like these cushions.Our throwaway society yields some wonderful creative pieces as used by people like Kirsten.

Liz has been adding to her rust -dyed piece,using found objects to add accents.These were picked up on beaches in Cornwall.The combination of handwoven African stripcloth,rust and stitch is very appealing.

Following on from her workshop with India Flint Liz continues to explore Eco - dyeing, with great results.She is now beginning to put these pieces together with naturally dyed fabrics and thermofax print.These are going to be based upon her beloved trees.

She was treated to a personalised book of tree photos ,taken by her husband,for Christmas.There are some stunning examples ,as you can see below.Plenty of inspiration here to keep her motivated and making.

New Year.......new work.

We met at Sue's this month and enjoyed a relaxed meeting.We are looking toward October and our exhibition in Sidcot School from 4th -12th. Carol is working on a piece to do with the DNA that is present in all living things and is planning several pieces.This shows just the one panel and the second photo the colours she is auditioning.

Debby brought along two of her brooches as she has had a busy time and has no new work to show.However, she did bring along some inspiration in the shape of Linda Miller pieces she was able to purchase when she gave a talk at Bristol Quilters recently.

Deryll wowed us with the work she brought along.She has been working on shorelines and using the "flower stitcher" foot,and her couronne stick to create buttonhole rings.She had also managed to make "eyelash yarn"look presentable! We wondered if this piece should really develop into two.The colours are lovely.

Jane has decided to create another "engine" piece and has been stitching the background.It really is a labour of love as the thread has to be changed every FIVE minutes.Below are the cogs on the left and just one of the digitized diagrams on the right.

Below are the back ,showing the machine stitching,and the front of the backing fabric which has been printed by Fingerprint.The cogs will be stitched bit by bit onto this.

There is more to see but you'll have to keep popping back as this month's work is added to the blog.